Halloween is just around the corner, and for most college students, it’s the most popular holiday of the year (except for Marathon Monday, if you’re in Boston). Goodwill is busier than ever with students trying to create last minute costumes for less than $20.
A costume is a key part of the holiday. It lets you transform into anything, from The Boy Who Lived (shout out to my Harry Potter nerds) to your favorite candy bar. It’s all your choice.
I’ve never thought much about Halloween. I follow the rituals of dressing up, going out and seeing what other crazy costumes people have come up with. Every year, I see hoards of girls as sexy cats, sexy nurses, sexy officers…the list goes on.
I always expect to see something different, that maybe this year, I’ll see less sexy [insert character here]. But, why should I? I’ve come to the realization that I shouldn’t be acting this way. Why should I judge a woman who is brave enough to do what she wants, knowing that others will judge her?
If you think that women are not judged, then you have never walked the streets of Allston (or just anywhere) during Halloween. Last year, I watched groups of people sit on their front porches, shouting out scores to those who walked past. I’ve seen groups of girls be whistled at and boys shout things they would never say in front of their mothers.
I have yet to witness this sort of harassment to groups of men. In fact, when it comes to Halloween, it seems like guys don’t really ever need to go the sexy route. Instead, they are athletes, doctors and a variety of other professions that dress like they would on a regular day.
Nine out of ten times, I have never seen a guy shed clothes for this holiday because they felt pressured to. Most of the time, it’s because it adds a comedic twist to their costume.
The harassment of women dressing sexy is not just on the streets. Online, I’ve seen links pop up with titles like, “The Sexy Costumes From ‘Frozen’ Will Ruin Kids’ Childhoods This Halloween.” Hint: they are all women’s costumes. I’ve read the articles, and I’ve read the comments. From what I can see, it breaks down into three main statements:
- Companies create these costumes because there is a demand for it.
- Women who don’t wear sexy costumes are sexier.
- Women should be able to wear what they want, even if it falls under the “sexy” category.
I can see how number one makes sense. Companies don’t make anything that costumers don’t demand. However, these are the same companies that are trying to sell these costumes by saying that they are in demand. This is what males want: sexy.
The media plays a huge part in what we think we want. All around us, sexy is portrayed as what needs to be achieved by women, whether it is that new diet you should use to lose ten pounds or moves you should try at a bar to win a man.
This leads to my second point. There are a lot of people saying that women who don’t wear sexy costumes are the true winners (how does one win Halloween exactly?). Those costumes show cleverness and quirky humor, which in return is “sexy.”
Who are we letting define what “sexy” is? Companies? Men? Women?
I believe that no one gets to define that except for you. I should get to decide that on my own, as should every other woman out there. If a woman thinks that a costume is good enough for her to wear, whether it falls into what companies define as “sexy” or not, she should wear it.
There is no single authority to make up these rules. There never has been, and there never should be.
Another part of Halloween culture that I need to address is the outright slut shaming of women by both men and women. When I see those groups shouting numbers (sometimes even holding up numbers with signs), there are women among the men.
I am guilty of this, even if I’m just thinking these thoughts in my head and not shouting them out. No woman should feel ashamed of their body or their choices.
As women, we should not judge other women just because they are making choices we aren’t. As men, they should not treat women as pieces of meat they are observing at the supermarket.
It shouldn’t be so difficult to demand that people treat one another with respect. Remember in grade school when we learned that lesson: treat others how you want to be treated?
I think it’s time that we remember that lesson and practice it in full force during this Halloween season.
